Giving Compass' Take:

• At the 2019 Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE), panelists explain how to measure whole-child competencies within the framework of social-emotional learning.  

• What are the challenges of implementing SEL in the classroom?  

• Read more about how to measure social-emotional learning. 

With recent research highlighting the benefits of social and emotional development in preparing students for the workforce, experts at the 2019 Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE) discussed the implementation and measurement of whole-child educational competencies in schools.

Linda Darling-Hammond, president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, said many students don't have social-emotional competencies needed for today's workforce — such as self-regulation and executive function skills — and they need to be explicitly taught at an early age. Afterward, infusing these skills into instruction can be as easy as making time for peer essay review or promoting effective group work, she said.

However, the ability to measure these skills "hasn't caught up to the enthusiasm," Darling-Hammond said, and Marc Sternberg of the Walton Family Foundation added that teachers need to know how they will be held accountable for teaching these skills.

In January, the Aspen Institute's National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development released its "From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope" report, which analyzed stressed that social-emotional development is an integral part of learning and success and that enhancing these skills helps students both inside and outside the classroom.

There are, however, still underlying questions about how to measure these non-academic competencies and what teachers should be charged with instilling in their students. And the transition to a new approach to learning, as Finn noted, can come with risks if not implemented well.

For example, placing a greater emphasis on whole-child curricula is potentially less challenging and can lead lower achievement among students.

To avoid a less-challenging academic environment and still emphasize the effectiveness of whole-child education, districts or schools looking to implement this type of curriculum can consider adding a supplemental program that specifically addresses a certain skill set, whether in math, reading or social-emotional learning.

Read the full article about educating the whole child by Jessica Campisi at Education Dive.